In 2014, Slovak businessman Ladislav Zdut revived Nehera, an iconic brand founded in 1930s Czechoslovakia. In its first incarnation, the brand helped revolutionize the ready-to-wear fashion industry before stopping production during World War II. As the current CEO, Zdut has made it his mission to retain the original branding, while bringing Nehera into the 21st century with a modern take on sustainability. 

Drawing inspiration from the archetype of the working woman, the brand aims to build a collection of quality pieces that can be worn anywhere. In a fashion world that is constantly trying to do more, Nehera tries to focus on timeless pieces and subtle luxury. Nehera’s Spring/Summer 2023 collection encompasses the brand’s core message of “less is more.”

“The main themes of this collection are asymmetry, colors as carriers of the emotions, and versatility regarding the style, based on our ground of functional comfort, tailoring from the menswear and innovations,” Zdut said.

It was refreshing to witness a brand that prioritized comfort and fashion simultaneously while catering to the multi-faceted needs of modern women. The silhouettes of each piece were flexible and comfortable, yet tasteful and chic. Zdut demonstrated how Nehera’s blazers could be worn in the traditional way, or in a half-on-half-off style, which showcases the asymmetry of the piece and allows for free movement.

“When we say functional comfort, we don’t mean oversize necessarily,” Zdut said. “We take very sophisticated features from menswear to advance the features of Nehera women. For example, big arm holes on jackets to enhance functional comfort.”

Nehera’s collections expand the doors of womenswear with atypically structured menswear silhouettes, as well as its emphasis on creating realistic, practical pieces for its customers. What made this collection different from previous ones was the subtle, yet remarkable addition of new colors. The brand has traditionally stayed within a range of neutral tones, consisting of sage green, creams and grays, but there were new pops of color in this collection.

According to Zdut, the additions to Nehera’s color palette in this collection are part of his endeavor to build on the previous incarnation of Nehera. Wanting to add a pop of color to enhance the collection, Zdut drew from his belief that colors have emotional resonance.

“[We] included pumpkin orange, carrier of emotion of creativity, and yellow, carrier of energy,” Zdut said.

Additionally, Nehera continues to make a conscious effort to be respectful of its surroundings. Zdut vouches for sustainability and utility in all materials used and hopes to keep this at the forefront of the future vision for the brand.

“We would like to be a sustainable brand, in all important dimensions of the word, not only ecological,” Zdut said. “Of course, we would like to remain ecological, but also profitable and friendly to our surroundings, both environmentally and socially.”

Contact Zainab Rizvi at [email protected].